


Cursed

by silentexplorer18



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Battle of Hogwarts, Blood and Injury, Fred Weasley Lives, Gen, Just a short little blurb, Minor Injuries, Weasleys are like family to you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24121822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentexplorer18/pseuds/silentexplorer18
Summary: During the Battle of Hogwarts, you run into an old friend... or maybe foe?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Reader, Fred Weasley & Reader, Weasley Family (Harry Potter) & You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Cursed

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short little blurb from a dialogue prompt I got over on [Tumblr](https://silentexplorer18.tumblr.com/) for the phrases: "I know that you're scared," "Don't try to fight back," and "I can't breathe."
> 
> Fred also lives in this because I'm self-indulgent.

The screams hurt your ears, wrench open a part of your heart that you desperately need to keep closed right now. It’s a _war_ , you remind yourself, sick to your stomach as you hear another boom. Someone’s surely dead now - another body onto the pile - and your heart aches with the selfish hope it’s not someone _you_ love, one of _your_ friends.

You turn the corner, heading down a hidden hallway, an old shortcut. It used to take you to arithmancy; now it’s taking you to the other side of the castle. Defenses were falling, people were dying. You knew it was possible your friends wouldn’t survive when you started this war, but now it’s all too real, all too painful.

Someone won’t make it out of this alive. If you aren’t focused, it may be you.

That knowledge haunts you, sending an eerie chill down your spine as you hear the rapid clip of footsteps behind you. They’re close.

These could be your last moments alive.

You try to push the thoughts out of your head, focus on the here and now where your actions determine your fate. Drawing your wand, you wait, watching the thin, unkempt boy round the corner.

“Draco?” You haven’t seen him in months, but it feels like years. You don’t let your wand falter even though you want to.

His gaze is uncaring as it rests on your figure. He looks broken, strung taunt, and you wonder what he’s running to, running from.

You’d known him once. Once, many moons ago.

It doesn’t seem like you know him much anymore. Then again, with the world crumbling around you, it’s safe to say you don’t know _anyone_ anymore.

He looks as guarded as you do, though, which isn’t an encouraging sign.

**“Don’t try to fight back.”** His voice is soft, raspy, but so is yours. It’s weird to see him here, dirty and lost, snake swirling up his forearm like a curse.

The world is reduced to four walls of crumbling stone and the lost shake of his wand as the explosions storm around you. You couldn’t kill him even if you wanted to. You know that with just one look at him.

But your distraction is a fool’s choice, and Draco notices your moment of weakness, grimacing as he casts the spell. The curse hits you squarely in the chest, catching you off guard.

He’d taken you to the Yule Ball. He’d helped you study potions for three years, despite his incessant dislike for your friends. You never imagined he’d hurt you, not even in your wildest dreams.

You stumble, falling to the floor in a heap of trembling limbs. “I can’t believe you just did that,” you pant. It’s getting hard to breath, the curse bubbling through your chest, wrapping around your throat like a vice. The hurt you feel in your chest could be aiding the curse, too.

“What’s going on?” you ask, hand wrapping around your throat. You feel panicked, and you see Draco’s gaze soften slightly.

**“I know that you’re scared,”** he murmurs, probably trying to provide some semblance of comfort. “It’ll all be over soon.”

**“I can’t breathe,”** you whisper, the world’s fading black around you, and you feel the cold thrill of fear chase up your spine.

“I know.”

And the darkness swallows you whole.

* * *

You gasp, blinking the film from your eyes as you look around. The Weasleys are staring at you, and Hermione’s worrying her cheek. Fred’s laying next to you, blood splattered across his cheeks. He’s staring at you, too, breathing puffs of hot, exhausted air across your temple.

“What **—** ” you whisper, feeling the gravel in your throat.

Fred gives your hand a squeeze, smiling with that brotherly sort of smile that makes you feel at home in the sea of red hair. “Gave us quite the fright there. I found you passed out in an abandoned hallway, grabbed you before the whole bloody wall exploded.”  
“Someone must’ve hit you with a sleeping charm,” Hermione confirms, offering you a stressed smile. Her brows are furrowed, concerned lines creasing her features. She looks much too grown for her age; then again, none of you have felt like children for a long time.

They aren’t all with you; there are faces missing from the group. Staring up at them, you don’t know how many have lived or died. The realization sends a pang through your heart, and your eyes dart around the room finding familiar faces, bloodied, streaked with tears, but alive. You notice them all, perching on rubble, clinging to families and friends, helping the wounded, doing the one thing everyone hoped to be doing after the war ended: breathing.

And Draco Malfoy sits curled in the corner by a window.

He looks ashamed.

From across the room, he meets your gaze, and for one fleeting moment you wonder whether he’s ashamed of leaving you for dead or for seeing you alive now.

He turns away, focusing back on the window.

Perhaps it would be better to never know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
